Building support around construction workers

Mental ill health is now the leading cause of long-term sickness absence in UK workplaces [1], and construction's own figures point to a markedly higher risk than the national picture [2]. 

Construction carries risk factors that compound each other. Long hours, demanding deadlines, physically tough work, time away from home and uncertainty between projects can all add pressure, while a workforce that's around 85% male [3] and a culture that has traditionally valued resilience and self-reliance can make it harder to talk about struggling. Add a workforce split between employees and self-employed subcontractors, around 39% of the sector [3], with different levels of access to support, and it can be easier to carry a problem quietly than to raise it early. 

An industry that's taken this seriously 

The construction sector has developed dedicated health and wellbeing support, designed around the particular needs of the people who work within it. 

Mates in Mind (https://www.matesinmind.org/about-us) is a charity built specifically for construction and related sectors. Established in 2017, it helps employers improve mental health awareness and gives people the confidence to recognise when someone may be struggling and know how to respond. It now works with more than 700 supporter organisations across the industry [4]. 

Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity (https://www.lighthouseclub.org/construction-industry-helpline/) runs the Construction Industry Helpline, providing free, confidential 24/7 support to people working in construction and their families. Its support extends beyond mental health to include emotional, physical and financial wellbeing, including help for people facing financial hardship [5]. 

Building Mental Health (https://www.citb.co.uk/levy-grants-and-funding/funded-projects/funded-projects-library/building-mental-health/), funded by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and delivered with Lighthouse, was created to help the sector develop a more consistent approach to mental health. Its work has included training Mental Health First Aid Instructors, helping to build access to trained support across the industry [6]. 

And they aren't duplicating each other. Mates in Mind focuses on awareness and helping people recognise when someone may be struggling. Lighthouse provides somewhere to turn when someone needs support directly. Building Mental Health helps develop trained support across the industry. 

What PMI adds alongside it 

The NFRC Bupa Scheme from ECIS doesn't replace any of these services. Instead, it adds another layer of support. While charities and workplace initiatives help people recognise problems early, PMI can help people access clinical assessment and treatment when it's needed. 

ECIS has built that support into the PMI scheme in several ways. The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) gives immediate access to a confidential 24/7 phone line and short-term counselling, and the scheme's helplines provide day-and-night access to qualified nurses for general health and family mental health queries. 

For anyone who needs a formal assessment or treatment, the mental health fast-track offers rapid routing to assessment, with zero-excess talking therapies. 

Digital therapy apps add a further, self-guided option, with tools for managing stress and sleep issues, and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub in the My Bupa app includes resources covering sleep, stress, anxiety, depression, alcohol use and caring for a loved one. 

Charities, workplace initiatives and what's built into PMI all add up to real support. 

Having support available is only useful if people know it's there. 

• Make sure employees know about the Construction Industry Helpline. It's free, confidential and available to everyone in the sector, whether or not they're covered by the NFRC Bupa Scheme. 
• Look at whether someone within the business could be trained as a Mental Health First Aider, through Building Mental Health or Lighthouse's own courses. 
• Make conversations about wellbeing a normal part of working life, rather than something that only happens when someone is already struggling. 
• For employers already part of the NFRC Bupa Scheme, make sure employees understand what's included, from the EAP and mental health fast-track to the digital tools they can access themselves. 

Charities and PMI each cover a different part of the picture, and together they add up to a stronger network than either alone. The important thing is making sure people can find that network before they reach the point where they need it most. For those with an ECIS PMI scheme, that network extends further through the mental health support included within their cover. 

If you're considering PMI for your employees, or want to understand more about the support available through an existing ECIS scheme, talk to ECIS at https://ecins.co.uk or email [email protected]. 

References 

[1] CIPD/Simplyhealth (Sep 2025): https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/reports/health-well-being-work/ 

[2] CIOB (May 2025): https://www.ciob.org/industry/research/Understanding-Mental-Health-in-the-Built-Environment-2025 

[3] ONS, EMP14: Employees and self-employed by industry, via BCIS (Q1 2026): https://www.bcis.co.uk/news/latest-construction-workforce-figures/ 

[4] Mates in Mind (accessed Aug 2026): https://www.matesinmind.org/about-us 

[5] Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity (accessed Aug 2026): https://www.lighthouseclub.org/construction-industry-helpline/ 

[6] CITB, Building Mental Health (accessed Aug 2026): https://www.citb.co.uk/levy-grants-and-funding/funded-projects/funded-projects-library/building-mental-health/